Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

"Irisviel! Watch out!"

Saber screamed in disbelief.

She saw from afar a monster with its mouth full of fangs lunging at Irisviel.

At this moment——

A kind of "light" that was definitely not of nature illuminated the blood-red forest.

The hideous monster perished instantly in that "light".

"…………ah?"

Artoria stopped abruptly, her mouth agape, unable to utter a word.

Irisviel turned around in surprise and glimpsed a figure in the "light".

The figure was covered in a long black robe, except for a white skull mask on its face—

Shirou Amamiya returns as a ghost.

"...Assassin!?"

Irisviel stared in astonishment at the dark figure who had saved her.

For a moment she mistook him for an assassin, but then immediately dismissed the thought.

It's not Assassin.

It wasn't because Assassin was dead, but for some other reason.

You'll understand once you see it.

Even Irisviel, a princess confined to her chambers, could immediately tell how unusual the sword in the shadowy figure's hand was.

Just how noble is the "light" that wraps around the sword, and how ominous is the boiling magic power on it?

"Uh... how is that possible..."

Saber completely ignored the monster's tentacles binding her legs again, staring blankly at the longsword in the shadowy figure's hand.

It's understandable that you'd be surprised, Saber.

Shirou thought to himself.

After all, this was "originally" given by the witch, and "ultimately" colored by me and given the witch's name—

Excalibur Morgan, the sword of valor.

"........."

The jet-black aurora from the Reversal Holy Sword easily stole Artoria's soul.

She simply felt that it was more beautiful and dazzling than anything else, making it impossible for her to look away.

Volume 1, Chapter 56: Huh? You're King Arthur?

"Uh... how is that possible..."

Saber stared in disbelief at the scene before her.

At the very moment Irisviel was in danger, the dark aurora descended from the sky.

He was a boy whose appearance could only be described as a "shadow".

He was dressed in Assassin attire from head to toe, and his face was covered by a bone mask.

He appeared before Irisviel and, with a mere flick of his Aurora Blade, dispatched the otherworldly monster with a single strike.

The severed half of the tentacle crawled up from the ground, trying to climb onto the boy's feet—but he ruthlessly crushed it.

"Uh……"

Saber was so surprised she couldn't speak.

With his black robe and white mask, he should look like an Assassin no matter how you look at it.

But it's not right.

He is not an Assassin.

He couldn't possibly be an Assassin.

Because Saber knows better than anyone the truth behind the demonic sword the boy wields.

Even if it's stained black, I would never mistake it—

That was Excalibur, the holy sword of the lake that accompanied him throughout his life and across countless battlefields.

however--

This holy sword, which represents the glory of Camelot, now radiates the aurora of the tyrant who once ravaged Britain... the Aurora of the Lowly King.

Saber's voice trembled as she spoke, "Wait, your sword is..."

Is it really such a beautiful thing when it is no longer viewed with hostility as a dark light?

Shirou didn't look in her direction; he just kept slaying monsters while muttering to himself.

Don't get distracted.

"!!"

This warning finally brought Saber to her senses. She tore off the tentacles wrapped around her neck and crushed them with a single blow.

Caster, who was still immersed in ecstasy, suddenly flew into a rage when she saw the dark-skinned boy barging in.

"Who are you! Are you here to interfere with me and Joan of Arc?!"

Caster had his arm chopped off by Shirou just minutes before, yet he couldn't recognize him at all.

This is because Shirou had Lady Avalon cast a cognitive impairment spell on him, causing his surroundings to emit a strange fluctuation, like an out-of-focus image, with its outline always blurry and indistinct.

This is similar to a certain berserker's skill, "Not for one's own glory."

Of course, Shirou's main reason for hiding was to guard against Tokiomi Tohsaka and the others; he didn't want to expose himself too early.

Shirou pointed the dark blade at Caster and replied coldly:

"Don't worry about my identity; I'm just an insignificant, vanished shadow—"

I have descended here to punish you, you evil heretic.

"What did you say……"

Caster stared wide-eyed, his already pale face turning even paler.

"You said you are... a messenger sent down from heaven by God?"

Shirou: Hmm?

"Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible! An angel has descended to earth! God is planning to punish me! This is absolutely impossible!"

Caster frantically pulled at his hair, shook his body from side to side, and screamed hysterically.

"Joan of Arc's death has proven that God's holiness is nothing but a false illusion. There is no such thing as salvation in this world. The prayers of the lamb cannot reach heaven, and human evil cannot be justly judged! God's majesty, God's love, God's judgment have never existed from the beginning! They don't exist anywhere... that's right!"

"........."

Shirou looked speechlessly at Irisviel beside him, who shrugged helplessly.

"I understand."

Caster suddenly became unusually calm, as if a switch had been flipped.

He stared wide-eyed, gritting his teeth, and said, "I understand completely."

"God still desires to defile Joan of Arc's soul, which is why He sent you to thwart my plans."

Shirou: Huh?

"Joan of Arc has just been resurrected, and you and your god have already appeared like ghosts, with the aim of making her a puppet to be controlled and manipulated by you once again!"

Ahh! Waaaaah! How shameful! How tragic!

How utterly despicable this is! Don't you think so, Joan of Arc?

Faced with Caster's impassioned questioning, Saber's serene face remained completely unmoved.

"The gods and angels who once forsaken you have now appeared before you in your resurrection! How shameless this is!"

Unforgivable! I, Gilles de Rais, will never allow you to defile her soul again!

Shirou rolled his eyes: You're trying to get all excited, aren't you? Who's the villain here anyway?

"Joan of Arc, please be patient. I will... I will definitely free your soul from the curse of God!!!"

The grimoire in Caster's hand seemed to respond to his roar, emitting an eerie crimson pulse as it rapidly turned its pages.

Hundreds of monsters sprang from the ground, their waving tentacles almost filling the entire forest, lunging towards Shirou and Irisviel behind him.

Just then, a golden flash pierced straight through the hideous horde of demons.

It's Saber.

She used her holy sword to unleash a small-scale beam of light, forcibly tearing a path through it, and took the opportunity to rush back to her Master's side.

"Saber!"

"Are you alright, Irisviel?"

"Hey, I'm fine, thanks to..."

Irisviel looked at the dark-skinned boy in front of her, unsure of what to call him.

"Excuse me, may I ask you..."

"Let's save what we have to say for later."

Shirou said calmly, his back to her.

Irisviel paused for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Ah, um, I understand!"

Saber, can you still fight?

Artoria glanced at the Reversal Holy Sword in the dark-skinned boy's hand, a strange sense of defiance igniting in her eyes, and nodded resolutely.

She took a step forward and stood next to Shirou.

"Just asking, you're probably not the angel he's talking about, are you?"

Shirou stared at Caster, who was holding down the fort at the rear of the monster horde, and asked without even raising an eyebrow:

"Are you the saint this madman is talking about?"

"of course not."

"I can rest assured that."

Then, almost simultaneously, the two gripped their swords with both hands and assumed their respective stances.

"Unknown demon swordsman, thank you for saving my master just now."

As you can see, Caster doesn't seem to intend to let you go easily. Would you please fight alongside me for now?

Saber extended the invitation with an unwavering, stern expression.

Shirou's answer to this was—

"Don't hold me back, Holy Sword Wielder."

Upon hearing this, Saber was not angry at all; instead, she smiled knowingly.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the forest—

Saber dispelled the "Wind King Barrier," revealing the Holy Sword of the Lake, which was sheathed in a magnificent and noble scabbard.

Irisviel blinked, puzzled. "Saber? What are you going to do?"

Without hesitation, Saber drew her sword and tossed the scabbard to her Master behind her.

"Irisviel, please keep it for me for now."

"Huh... Ah! Okay!"